Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Hillcrest Journal by John Schreiber

When I was home for Christmas, my good friend Annie lent me this book. Annie and I went to school together, and during our senior year, sat through countless hours of AP English class taught by John Schreiber. I was also active in several plays during high school, all directed by John Schreiber. Knowing Mr. Schreiber, I knew this book would not be one I'd choose myself...but even after a cautionary summary from Annie, my curiosity won and I took the book. It took me 3 months to open it, and the whole time I was reading, I could hear Mr. Schreiber's voice, but I am glad I gave it a chance.

This book would be categorized as Christian Fiction and is written as if we are reading the journal of Hillcrest High student Chad Wilson. I liked the format, but everything about it was inauthentic. Specifically, the entire time I was reading, I was thinking that it was written like an adult who was trying to write like a teen...I never once felt like it was actually a 17 year old boy's journal from the 1980s, but rather that it was what an adult might imagine a very naive 17 year old boy might write about.

I can guarantee you that Mr. Schreiber has read more than his fair share of journals over the years, but I'm pretty sure there weren't any written like Chad's. I understand that the point of the book was to help kids relate to someone else who was struggling to understand his relationships with God, his family, and

No comments:

Post a Comment